Why are Amps made to self destruct?

I just got a Ampeg BA108 as a birthday present. I love the tone very retro and fuzzy in a good way. I told my folks who bought it for me... you could not have bought anything that sounded better for cheaper and you could have have gotten anything as good but smaller without spending significantly more.

I play a passive bass that dosn't have a particularly hot signal. Once the volume gets to 5 (only half way up)I feel like I have to be super careful with out how I play it... it sounds like it is going to fall apart. We are told volume numbers mean little so use your ears.

Why do amp makers give us so much more volume than we could realisticly use? In my mind when playing with a passive instrument you should never be able to fry a well paired amp/speaker combo. Is this needed for people that demand destortion? Do the amp manufacturers hope you blow your equipment?

Reaching good volume levels with the knobs not turned up much makes people think the amp is more powerful than it is. The other side is there are a few amps you have to really crank the knobs to get full volume and people label them as weak (even though they are not). It is all customer "perception" and has little to do with what the amp is REALLY capable of.

Amps don't really self destruct... it's more a matter of being careful about pairing heads and cabs. You don't pair a 2000 watt head with a 1000 watt head and crank it. You do the opposite! 1000 watt head with 2000 watt cab.

Generally amps aren't made to cause you trouble. That wouldn't be very beneficial for the brand.

All amps have their best applications and limitations ... there is only so much you are going to get out of an 8" speaker, before compromises need to start being made .. you raise the volume, you will probably be needing to adjust the EQ as well reducing the bass response required ... volume comes back down, your will be able to EQ more low frequencies back in ... the old addage that you dont take a knife to a gun fight type of deal ...

two fingersOpinionated blowhard. But not mad about it.Gold Supporting Member

Reaching good volume levels with the knobs not turned up much makes people think the amp is more powerful than it is. The other side is there are a few amps you have to really crank the knobs to get full volume and people label them as weak (even though they are not). It is all customer "perception" and has little to do with what the amp is REALLY capable of.

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This.

Plus, consider this. What if someone owned a bass with incredibly low output? They would have to turn up pretty high on the amp to get anything from it.

Plus, consider this. What if someone owned a bass with incredibly low output? They would have to turn up pretty high on the amp to get anything from it.

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Yep. Amps need to be able to get to full power with a wide range of input signals. To get to full power with a low output instrument and/or player with a light touch requires a lot more amplifier gain than getting to full power with a high output bass and/or a heavy hitter.

"Once the volume gets to 5 (only half way up)I feel like I have to be super careful with out how I play it... it sounds like it is going to fall apart."

Crank it, get over your fear. Push it to see how far it you can push it.
If you do break it, then you know you need more. Cranking the amp to get use to it at high volume is not abuse. Smart manufacturers design in the fact people may crank them. They build in protection. Bad manufacturer's support call it "user error" if you turn the knobs past some undocumented level.

I bought an Ampeg BA110 used from GC that rattled like crazy when I tried it out. I pressed on the amp chassis, and the rattle became less pronounced. I took it home, and removed the amp, and found that the plywood blocks where the wood screws that attached the amp chassis had failed by the plies having separated. I put some Gorilla glue on them, and clamped them over-night. I re-attached the amp chassis the next day, and it works great.

My BA108 sounds great when headphones are plugged in or if its on low settings, but if I get it up to 4 or five, higher pitched notes make the whole thing vibrate,rattle, and make weird noises. That's why I'm planning to upgrade soon.

If you're getting up to 5, you're doing pretty good. You must remember that trad. SS amps have twice their rated power available for peaks, and on an amp with a single volume knob, that is par for the course. Even the single-volume SVT's like the VR and vintage heads start distorting right around that point. When it starts distorting noticeably, that is where you're getting past its RMS (clean) power.